Where East Meets West
by luckyxtrick
Summary: Based off the fic "No Ordinary Life" by Jupiter's Magic. OC Felicity is the fourth Doma Warrior and now they have to pick up the pieces of their lives and merge them into a new one, together.
1. Ready, Set, Go!

"Well what ah we gone do now?" Valon mused as the biker quad regrouped. "We gotta earn a quid somehow." Felicity clapped her hands and got their attention. She had a huge grin that was missing on her friends' faces.

"I'm not leaving you guys. We have to stay together; you're all I really have. That being said, do you remember how I had to go back to Wisconsin for a bit? Well, I never told you guys but I kind of bought a house…my grandparents are really old and I bought it from them when they went into a nursing home..." she rubbed the toe of her boot into the dirt while her friends stared at her blankly.

Valon was the first to recover. "PIG'S ARSE!" he cried.

"No, really I did. So, we have a place to go, but it's up to you guys if you wanna relocate…"

"I'm in," Alister readily agreed. "I can't go back to Kosovo. I don't have anything there. America is a much nicer country."

They looked to Raphael, the remaining member, to decide to stay or go. He shrugged. "Sounds good to me. I'm an orphan as much as you guys are. Except for you, City."

Felicity nodded. "It's settled. I think we'll be able to get to Manitowoc in a little over twenty-four hours. Obviously, we should stop somewhere, probably for the night."

"Yer the one who knows this country best, City. We can call the ol' HQ to get our stuff shipped, ya think, mates?"

"I'm sure we can, Valon. So who's ready to go?" Felicity slid her helmet on over her waist-length, copper-colored curls and threw a leg over her white Yamaha FZ6R rocket. It had a black tribal design that faded into edgy, dark purple flowers. It was her baby. She had lowered it so her short and slight (five-foot-three, one hundred pound) stature could mount and control it. Originally the bike had a sort of bumper sticking out the back, kind of like a mud flap. With some welding expertise she cut that off and reaffixed the brake light and blinkers so they were directly under the seat and not hanging over the back tire.

She waited for her teammates to straddle their bikes before revving the throttle and kicking the bike into a wheelie as she squealed out of the parking lot they had met in. They hauled ass trying to catch up to her, and she led them through several Midwest states before pulling into a Hyatt Regency.

Flipping up the eye shield on her helmet to reveal violet eyes, she exclaimed, "My ass hurts. The GPS says we're in Kentucky y'all!" She plucked said GPS off the gas tank in front of her seat and did a backbend to stretch the muscles sore from sitting hunched over for so long. During the ride she would lean forward and stretch her legs out behind her in an attempt to straighten out her back, but Raphael's voice always cut into her helmet's Bluetooth telling her to cut it out unless she wants to kill herself.

Her witty irrelevant response: "Harleys suck!"

Valon whistled upon entering the lobby. "Nice place they got here." He was only mildly impressed; after working for Paradius the group had seen just about the most ridiculous the wealthy had to offer.

"I'm starving. After we dump our stuff at the room let's check out the dining room," Felicity said, pointing at an adjacent door with BlueFire Bar & Grill labeling the wing. They waked up to the front desk and requested two bluegrass suites, telling the guys there was only one bed in each room but it was a doozy of a bed. If they didn't want to share a bed there was also a full couch.

"How are we paying for this?" Alister asked, ever logical. Felicity grinned wickedly and pulled out a gold-colored credit card.

"We're on business." The smirk didn't fade as Raphael reasoned aloud that Dartz had only just been returned to his time, therefore the card account was still open and could still be charged.

Sweet! What's the limit?" Valon exclaimed, fist-bumping Felicity.

"Ten grand. Besides this we each have stocks. I cashed mine out the day we went on that mission with the intent to capture the pharaoh's soul. Did you guys really think we were going to defeat him?" They each admitted sheepishly they had sold theirs that day, too. She giggled. "I'm relieved. I thought you guys were going to be all pissy since I didn't have any faith in us."

They reached the rooms which were next to each other and decided to split up into the boys in one and Felicity in the other. Felicity texted Raphael saying he was invited to crash in her room if Valon and Alister trying to kill each other became unbearable.

"You can have the bath tub, Alister. Raph can have the bed and I'll sleep on the couch," Valon said in a superior tone, assuming a lot. When he realized Alister wasn't walking behind him anymore, he stopped and turned around to see the redhead seething. Suddenly he swiftly darted forward and seized the Aussie by the front of his outfit and dumped him in the bathtub ruthlessly, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

"I guess that settles that," Raphael said exasperatedly. This was going to be a long night.

Alister brushed past him and deposited his bag on the couch, and made his way to the sliding glass doors which opened onto a balcony overlooking the city. He opened one and stepped out. "Where are we, exactly?" he wondered aloud.

"Lexington, I think," Raphael answered, joining him on the balcony to get away from Valon's screeching. A banging sound soon joined Valon's unbearable noises.

"It's six PM!" Felicity was shouting, emphasizing a syllable with each bang on the door. "I-haven't-eaten-for-two-days-get-yer-asses-out-here!" After some finagling they all managed to get down to the restaurant. They were seated and given menus; Felicity asked to see the wine list.

"Shall we order a bunch of stuff and share? I want to try several of these dishes," Raphael suggested. They all agreed on that plan of action, so when the waiter came back with her merlot, Valon's Coke, Alister's Jack and Coke, and Raphael's pint of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Felicity shot off almost half the menu.

She was being grilled about their new home they were heading to when they were interrupted by the first course. Barbeque shrimp, calamari, crab cakes, a full-size mozzarella and tomato salad partnered with a steak salad was split up on four small plates, and a couple bowls of lobster and crab soup with four soup spoons were set around the table.

Eyes lit up as food and special Southern condiments and salsas were divvied up among the group and they dug in. Raphael and Felicity ate small bites and relished the flavors (due to Raphael's French upbringing and Felicity's professional chef cousin's teachings) while Valon chowed down and Alister picked at his food.

She put her hand on Alister's arm. "Everything okay?" she asked quietly. He gave her a weak smile.

"I miss Mikey. That's all." Felicity's eyes fell to her plate as she remembered him reiterating his experience with his brother's spirit to her. She wasn't very good at responding to touchy situations like these, she never had much of a use for tact and believed soft sentiments sounded like cheap Hallmark cards.

"It's okay. I know you don't know what to say, and I'm glad you haven't changed your unwillingness to spout an unfelt sentiment like a Hallmark card," Alister smirked.

"If it isn't said from the heart it wasn't really felt," she returned, giving him a smile. He had gotten to know her well while they were partners in Doma. "I wish I could have met him."

He nodded, the faint smile still present. "He was a great kid."

The rest of dinner was less awkward and they agreed to do the same sharing over dessert. They ordered one of everything and ate bites off each plate, Felicity consuming the least, followed by Raphael. Valon was left to finish off entire half portions since Alister declined the final course completely. Not that he minded.

Felicity swirled the last swallow of her wine in the glass and watched it lap the sides as she wondered what would happen when they arrived in her home area. Granted, Manitowoc wasn't exactly her home town, but she did have her mother's side of the family there. Her male cousin was living in Minneapolis where he finished culinary arts school, and her female cousin, who was also her best friend, was still around, working the same Inn job she had been since they were fourteen. She also had a baby with a guy named Fernando who Felicity held bitter hatred for. He was a player and broke Faye's heart too many times and was no father to their daughter, Anya. Faye was still hung up on him, which made matters so much worse.

And then there was Jessie…

She swallowed her wine and stood up and signed the slip the waiter had brought back, leaving a generous tip.

Back in the room she went into the bathroom to change into the boxers Valon gave her to sleep in. They were light blue, and were almost the same shade as his eyes. She blushed on that thought, feeling slightly perverted.

When she was done she checked her phone and had a text message from Yugi, asking if they made it to wherever they were going safely. She explained the situation and turned her phone off and plugged it in. The bed was huge; it looked like a lonely bed despite the expensive covers.

A knock at the door was a welcome change from her observations.

"Alister? What are you doing here?" Felicity asked, opening the door wider to let him in.

"You seemed distracted after dinner," he replied, walking past her and taking a seat on the bed.

"Oh, it was nothing," she cracked a smile to throw him off and shut the door.

Alister gave her his patented "Nice-Try-But-I'm-Not-Convinced" look. "Felicity," he warned. She knew better than to think she could keep anything from him. He may have sounded cold when he said her name but she heard the undertone he implied.

Sighing, she walked over to the other side of the bed and lay down, covering her eyes with her arm. "Just thinking about the implications of going back home, I guess..."

There was silence and a sudden shift in the bed. Removing her arm from her eyes, she rolled over and was face-to-face with Alister. He stared at her, his steel-colored eyes unreadable. "You're scared, aren't you?" he asked quietly, unexpectedly.

She nodded, feeling her eyes tear up and the walls of the stronghold of her mind failing. She shut her eyes tightly in an attempt to keep herself from crying and let her mind go blank for a few moments. While they were closed she felt his touch and his arms go around her. She took in his scent and memories of Doma flooded back to her and the tears fell. They didn't speak any more, but fell asleep. She was exhausted.


	2. Sending Postcards From a Plane Crash

I would like to thank Jupiter's Magic for being my beta and feeding me ideas and making all around great edits!

I don't own jack.

Chapter Two: Sending Postcards From a Plane Crash

Felicity woke naturally at six AM like she did every other morning. Once she was up there was no falling back to sleep for her. Besides, she could smell coffee.

Alister was gone. She expected that much. She rolled out of bed with more vigor than she thought she'd have and found the smell to be coming from the hotel's four-cup pot of coffee already brewed and waiting for her. She smiled and blushed, knowing it must have been Alister who made it before he went back to his room.

She took her cup of coffee out on the balcony and looked over to see Raphael sitting out on his. She waved and he gave a half-wave back. Knowing him, there was no way he'd be up this early; the other two must have been up to something to drive him out of bed. He was not the brightest ray of sunshine in the morning, as she remembered a highlight of her time working for Dartz where he had walked into the wall, believing there was a door.

With a quiet giggle she turned her attention to the sunrise taking over the city, the shadows creeping away as early light pushed them away out of every crevasse and curtains on windows of neighboring buildings opening.

Yes, she was definitely a morning person.

In the boys' room, Raphael had stuck ear plugs in to drown out the sound of Valon and Alister's fighting and took refuge on the balcony. It was World War III. After discovering his warrior teammate sprawled out on the couch on top of his stuff, Alister put a sleeping Valon back in the tub when he returned to the room and turned the shower on cold. It was a rude yet comical awakening for the Aussie.

"OY! ALISTAR! GET NICKED, YA RAT BAG!" he screamed, leaping out of the tub, slipping and crashing, tearing the shower curtain off the plastic rings and wound himself up in it as he hit the floor outside of the tub.

During the commotion, Alister turned to Raphael with an incredulous, questioning look. Raphael realized he was going to speak, and pulled a bud out of one ear to accommodate.

"Why can't he speak proper English? What exactly is a 'rat bag'?" Alister mocked, completing the sarcasm with air quotes.

Suddenly, Valon burst out of the bathroom soaking wet. "IMA THROW YOU OFF THA' VERANDA, TOSSER! I bet you think yer a dunny rat, doncha?"

"Why do you keep comparing me to rats? I hardly think that's a fair comparison," Alister shot back as he ducked Valon's shovel hook. Raphael grabbed Valon around the waist before he could do any real damage to either Alister or the room.

In the sudden silence they heard Felicity faintly calling through the door "Guys, let me in…I've been knocking forever and I know you're in there, I can hear Valon and Alister trying to kill each other…"

Raphael threw a dirty look at the pair and opened the door for Felicity who was dressed and had her backpack slung over her shoulder already. She threw the boxers to Valon and thanked him.

"Um…do I want to know?" she asked, an apprehensive glance taking in the matted hair and clothing now skintight from water.

Valon growled and she craned her neck to make eye contact with Alister over his shoulder. "It's assault if you plan it, battery if you actually go through with it; hence 'assault and battery,' but the two can be charged independently."

"Thanks for the legal advice, City," he responded dryly.

"You know I tell you because I care."

"Don't encourage him," Raphael cut in. "Let's go. You'll air dry on the way, Valon." He led them out of the room, leaving behind the youngest Doma warrior. He was left in the room standing in disbelief as the door shut.

While they were at the front desk checking out, a red blur that was Valon ran down the stairs and through the lobby, making a mad dash for the entrance. She turned and her eyes narrowed, instantly suspicious. She noticed something out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Alister's hair smoking. Quickly reaching up and swiping a hand through his hair she dislodged…a firecracker.

"What the—"

Felicity jerked him aside by the arm and opened the water bottle she was holding and doused the small, papered object. It went out and she picked it up, handing it to the concierge to dispose of while looking around to see where it could have come from. They were standing under the upstairs hallway ledge where Valon could have easily dropped the lit explosive.

"VALON!" Alister roared as he tore out the door. She heard a motorcycle start up and another one after that. She frowned and looked to Raphael who was staring dumbfounded at the entrance.

"When do you think they'll run out of gas?" Felicity wondered twenty minutes later by their bikes as her and Raphael watched the two chase each other cat-and-mouse style up and down the road, over lawns and through other parking lots, weaving through vehicles, people, and bushes.

Raphael sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose to alleviate the nasty migraine that was forming. "Maybe if we leave they'll follow. They're going to get the cops called. They know they're not gaining any miles this way, and it's too early for me to deal with this crap," he said, moving to his Harley.

The idea worked and the two turned tail and followed suit.

They stopped for breakfast around nine, which only involved a minor incident with Alister loosening the salt shaker before Valon used it. How he managed to pull that off without anyone noticing was a mystery to them all.

"Oldest trick in the book and you fell for it," he chided.

"Shut it, ya wanker."

Raphael and Felicity groaned and stood up, ready to leave them there to bicker.

Several hours later they were pulling into the driveway of their new home behind Felicity. She stretched and led everyone up to the door and unlocked it. They entered into a landing between a short set of stairs into the kitchen on their right and a longer set of stairs descending into the basement. It was still furnished with her grandparents' furniture but was clean since her aunt and uncle, who lived a few blocks away on an adjacent street, came and vacuumed and dusted every week.

"There are three bedrooms upstairs and one down here on the side of the living room," Felicity explained as they walked into the kitchen. "The basement is finished, and there's a cellar-room-thing down there and an upright freezer and an extra fridge as well as a shower room, a toilet, and another living room. My grandfather was a woodworker, so his workbench is down there, so is the washer and dryer. This is the dining room, now we're walking through the living room, and as we reach the upstairs hallway here is the bathroom which has a claw foot tub and the three bedrooms are here."

"Which one is the master bedroom? The one downstairs?" Raphael asked. She nodded. "Then you should have that room, Felicity. This is your house." She shrugged and agreed and went to throw her stuff on the bed of her new room. All of her clothes were still at headquarters, they'd have to call and arrange that.

Valon ran through the living room past Felicity's door, nearly slamming into her. With a gasp she stopped on her toes as she heard him throw himself onto the couch and grab up the remote. Her grandparents' cable account was still active. She planned on upgrading to satellite TV ASAP. The front door, unseen from the living room, was heard opening.

"Who's there? I warn you, we have ourselves a wotch dog!" Valon shouted. " 'e's a vicious bugger!"

"Shut up, Valon!" Alister called from somewhere in the house.

Rolling her eyes, Felicity walked past him and met her cousin in the kitchen. "FAYE!" she launched herself at her and wrapped her legs around her waist which made Faye stumble back into a counter.

"Missed you too, cuz!" she responded.

Someone behind them cleared their throat loudly. It was Raphael. Felicity quickly introduced them and noticed the way Raphael stared at Faye. Her mind began working in mischievous ways.

Faye asked if they had done all their shopping because Felicity's car was waiting for her at their friend's house.

"Oh god I almost forgot! You wanna take me over?" Faye agreed and they ditched Raphael in the kitchen and slid into the beige Ford Taurus that was their grandparents but was given to Faye when they went into the home.

"So, Faye. What do you think of Raphael?" Felicity asked, not wasting any time before plunging into the big question.

"Umm…I don't really know him…" Faye shot her a "you're crazy, you know that?" look.

"Well, do you think he's cute? I saw how he looked at you."

Faye became flustered so Felicity just suggested that they get to know each other and to keep her mind open.

They pulled into Matt's driveway and Felicity jumped out and ran straight for the barn where her baby was waiting. She slid the huge door open and shrieked over how nice the Volkswagen Tiguan looked. She bought it a few years before. Originally white, she left it with Matt when she bought the house so he could paint the same design on the SUV as her bike. Now she had a matching set of vehicles and she loved it.

"There you are! I thought you weren't coming back for it," a male voice said at the door. Matt entered the barn and gave Felicity a hug. He handed the keys over and she threw herself into the car and started it up. The smell of horse was faint but still present. It was exactly how she left it. The pink Hello Kitty seat, gear shifter, and steering wheel covers, the strawberry-shaped air freshener clip on the passenger side shade, and the four empty quart bottles of oil in the backseat.

She squealed and gave Matt another hug and her new number and left after thanking him. Faye had to leave to pick Anya up from her moms, but said if she needed anything to let her know.

Her phone started ringing and she answered Raphael's call. In the background of him asking about grocery shopping she could hear "IN MY PANTS? YOU PUT THEM IN MY PANTS? 'THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Do I want to know?" she asked.

"Negative," he answered solemnly. Felicity let her head fall on the steering wheel. Matt raised an amused eyebrow, as he could hear everything, and bid her goodbye and good luck.

She started the car and said she'd be home soon to pick them up for grocery shopping. There was no way she would trust leaving Valon and Alister alone at their new house before Valon got his anxieties worked out of him. The kid had a lot of issues, she knew. His ADHD drove him to be a huge pain in Alister's neck, but why it was focused pretty clearly on Alister no one knew. She made a mental note of making him an appointment to be prescribed some Adderall.

When she reached the house, Raphael was waiting outside with one of the other two in each hand by the backs of their shirts. The sight made Felicity laugh, it was so unusual for "normal" people but that was just how the foursome functioned. He threw Valon in the back and Alister in the front with a gruff "Behave," and slid into the back to play referee. Felicity flashed him a grateful smile and threw the car into reverse.

By the time they made it to the store, Felicity had implemented that treasured game so popular among mothers of very young children, the "Let's Be Silent for Five Minutes" game. This was prompted by Valon's questions, starting with "Can I get Mountain Dew?"

…It was a long car ride.

In the store she grabbed a cart and they all discussed meals and relevant things and nobody noticed Valon had vanished. Near the end of their trip they heard a very loud metallic-sounding crashing. Alister peered around the corner and reported Valon had pulled out some cans at the bottom of a pyramid display of Monster energy drinks.

"Typical," Felicity hissed.

"Hey, guys! Can I have—"

"NO!" the three shouted before he could finish his request.

His face fell and he held up a jar of vegemite. "…Vegemite?" he finished weakly. Felicity's mouth fell open in shock.

"Um…sure…" He tossed it in and they ran the cart to checkout before they were made to pay for any of the damaged items.

Back at the house they put the food away and Alister noticed Felicity looked worn as she made a simple spaghetti dinner. "Why don't you sit down? I can finish here."

"You mean it?"

"As long as Valon respects that he's banished from the kitchen." Felicity laughed and poured herself a cup of tea and took a beer and a can of Mug root beer to offer to Raphael and Valon, respectively, in the living room.

"A soda? For real, City?" Valon asked, shocked. She nodded.

When she returned to the kitchen, Alister murmured, "He doesn't know root beer doesn't have caffeine, huh?"

She put a finger to her lips. "What he doesn't know won't give us a headache."

"Amen."

Dinner was unusually calm, Valon cracked some funny jokes and him and Alister refrained from fighting.

"Sorry about the quality of this meal, guys. Just, you know, short notice," Felicity apologized. Valon scoffed.

"Felicity, this may be mostly a store bought meal but it's fine. Ya don' have ta make everythin from scratch every time. We know you arn' a bluger. Yer an ace cook. We all know it." She thanked Valon for his compliments and scooped more meatballs onto her plate.

After dinner everyone pitched in on dishes except Valon who took a shower since dishes seemed to fly off shelves and break whenever he helped with them.

"You guys like it so far?" Felicity asked, passing a newly washed plate to Alister to dry.

"Like what?"

"The city. Our new home," she smiled.

"The city seems nice. And I already know I can handle living with you guys."

"Same here," Raphael said, taking the dried plate and putting it away. Felicity smiled, feeling better about her life than she had in a long time.


End file.
